The combination of Nshima and relish seems to be the only thing that most Zambians call a real meal. This is what we call Posho (Uganda), Sakoro (Ghana) and Ugali (Kenya) along with beans and/or vegetables.
Deforestation is a huge problem in Zambia (and Africa). Zambia faces huge challenges with deforestation. One of the issues is the use of charcoal for cooking using traditional “Blazers” and selling charcoal along informal value chains. In Zambia, it requires Six tons of virgin forest are cut down to make One ton of charcoal. Using charcoal for cooking in Zambia is not only very inefficient but also challenging to make and use but also dangerous for a majority of households.
Between 18th – 26th August 2018, Awamu Biomass Energy Ltd ( the for-profit enterprise under GHF) was in Luskaka, Zambia to replicate her innovative clean cooking stove (Awamu Stoves and her operations) in Lusaka Zambia through Innovati Resources Limited.
Trainers and Trainees
Two trainers (Nolbert Muhumuza and Esther Nattabi) trained two metal fabricators in Tinsmiths in sheet metal fabrication including cutting, bending, joining, riveting, finishing as well as using gasifier stoves.
Awamu makes clean cooking stoves that use the concept of gasification to cleanly burn dry biomass; they cook faster, require no tending while cooking, are 90% smokeless and make charcoal as a by-product. One Gasifier stove has the potential to annually save $208 of household income, prevent 40 trees from being cut, save a local household (women and girls) 640 hours of collecting firewood and cooking, make 550 kg of charcoal and will eliminate 3.5mt of CO2 emissions from reaching the atmosphere.
Traditional charcoal stoves in Zambia
Innovati Resources is a young dynamic alternative energy company that provides renewable energy solutions for cooking , lighting , refrigeration and communication. Their Vision is to be Zambia’s trusted advisory enterprise in end to end alternative energy technologies and best available techniques in the industry.
Topics of training included;
- Global Environmental & Cleaner Technology Issues
- Overview of Gasification/ Gasifier Stoves parts
- Stove design concept
- Awamu Stove and Environmental Benefit
- General Workshop Practices
- Approach for Raw Material & Energy Conservation
- Cutting and assembling Stoves
- Waste Minimization i.e. Recycle and Reuse
- Sales and Market experiences (3)
- General practices for Stoves and setting up a cookstoves business
Trainees enjoy Nshima
Click here for the full training program for this activity in Zambia.
Click here to read the Full training Report.